Crash
by Captain Lupin Ferus
Summary: Crash; verb. 1) To break or go to pieces with or as if with violence and noise, 2) to fall, land, or hit with destructive force.
1. Prologue: Reason

**Crash  
Prologue: Reason**

**Summary: Crash; verb. 1) To break or go to pieces with or as if with violence and noise, 2) to fall, land, or hit with destructive force. **

**Disclaimer**_**:**_** Hahaha—no.**__**I do not own any media shown in this piece of fanfiction. They all belong to their respective creators and owners. The only thing I (barely) own is this piece of written works and the original characters within.**

**Warnings: There will be cursing, violence, mild nudity, blood, gore, and a few other minor things under the rainbow with this fic.**

**Note: I'm an idiot for going at this for so long. Can't blame me for trying. Third time's the charm, though. Here's to luck! **

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**House: **_Why are you here?_**  
The Answer: **_You believe in reason above all else. There must be a reason._**  
-House and The Answer, **_**House M.D.**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

They say that everything happens for a reason.

Well, whoever "they" were, Lupin would very much like to kick them where the sun didn't shine for one of the stupidest—not to mention, ironic—literal quotes she's heard in her life so far.

The thought was rather fleeting, but the emotions behind it continued to smolder beneath the surface. Twinges of faint regret, a barrage of annoyance and anger, with sprinkles of longing and weariness roiled beneath her calm, almost bored exterior. She stared blankly out across the backyard from the second deck patio, leaning against the railing as she viewed the towering trees and darkness beyond. Fuzzy, wolf ears perched atop her head twitched on occasion, listening to the soft lapping of waves from Lake Erie further away. She sighed.

"Never should have jumped in like I had. Could've been home by now with my family, but noooo. Miss 'I Have To Do The Right Thing' just _had_ to get in the way, couldn't let security handle the situation. You just _had_ to play little miss badass hero, didn't you? And what did that get you? Shot in the head, that's what. Way to go, 'hero'."

She snorted derisively, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, brought a cigarette up to her lips and gave a puff. The tip glowed a bright, cherry red. A beat passed. She blew out the smoke and sighed, glancing at the butt dangling from her fingertips. Embers slowly burned.

"I really shouldn't smoke these," she mused absently. A soft breeze blew past her, stirring the ashes at her feet up from the patio floor. A little more time passed with thoughts turning over in her head. Mostly regrets. Like the last words exchanged between her and her older brother, Jared before she shipped out for deployment. They had been bitter and angry and aimed to hurt.

What a wonderful way to start a year-long extended stay away from home.

A faint knock from back inside her room stirred her from her thoughts. She was almost glad for the distraction. She felt like she was beginning to sink and if she didn't get out now…she might've not gotten out at all.

She stubbed out her cigarette and padded back inside, closed the sliding glass door and tossed the cigarette butt into a trashcan sitting under a computer desk. Her bedroom door creaked open before she made it across the room. A red face popped into view. And by red, it wasn't figurative by any means, it was literally red.

"There you are. Missed you at dinner, kid."

The door swung open a little wider, revealing a stocky, broad-shouldered, barrel-chested man behind the red face. A whip-cord thin red tail swung leisurely behind the man as he looked down at the younger woman with the wolf ears. Her own tail, dark brown and tipped dark red, shivered and bristled before the fur settled.

"Didn't see you much of a social diner, Red. Special occasion?"

He smirked a little. "Smart ass."

She shrugged. The smile faded and the playful air, however brief, dissipated.

"You been camping out in here for almost a week now, kid. You seriously need to get out."

"I do go out. Out to smoke."

"That stuff'll kill ya, you know."

"Says the man who smokes cigars all the time. Twice as bad as a cigarette, ya know," she countered.

Hellboy scowled a little, lips pursed in a thin line, brow furrowing, stone hand grinding a little at his side.

"Look, kid…I know the news you heard, it wasn't that great. And that's putting it lightly. But hiding out and pretending like nothing's wrong isn't really the way to go." He exhaled slowly, looking away for a moment to view the room. There was nothing really personable about it. There were boxes and bags stacked here and there, some covered in a thin layer of dust, but from the looks of it, very little has been unpacked or touched.

"At least…do _something_ other than mope around, feeling sorry for yourself."

Lupin bristled at the insinuation, a growl building at the back of her throat.

"I am _not_ moping around or feeling sorry for myself—"

"_Yes_, _you_ _are_. Christ, kid, I know you didn't exactly get to volunteer for this crap, but man up and do your damned job. We want to go home as much as you do." He jabbed a stone finger in her chest, making her wobble on the spot. Her eyes widened in brief shock. He glared down at her, jaw clenched.

"You're not the only one who's hurting or homesick, so stop acting like you are."

She glared back, felt a stirring in her chest, an indignation and fire growing.

"You don't have people you care about being told that you _died_ over a year ago. Being lied to and having no power to do anything about it. At least you don't have the _temptation_ being waved in your face every day to say "_fuck it all_" and leave."

_Not a smart idea, what you're doing now,_ a little voice piped up at the back of her head. She ignored it, squashed it back down and glared. Her frame shook, felt her irate temper flaring up and rearing back its ugly head.

"Because it's so much easier being yanked from one universe and dumped in another with no way back. Thanks for clearing that up."

The sarcasm and biting tone was sharp and made her almost wince. Almost.

That small, reasonable part of her wanted to back down, knew that she was being insensitive and unfair. But the largely stubborn portion of her refused, against better judgment. Hellboy bared his teeth a little, face darkening.

"You aren't the only one with problems, kid. Get over yourself and do your job."

"You think I have any fucking clue what I'm doing or what I'm _supposed_ to do? I'm in a goddamned _manor_ with people who're supposed to be _fictional_ in this universe. This is a ball game I don't know the rules to any better'n you or the others do."

_Back off now, just back off. _

Stubbornness won again over the tiny, reasonable voice.

She didn't even know where this was going anymore, could feel it spiraling out of control, slowly but surely. If her building temper wasn't in the way, she probably would have recognized that _maybe_ picking a verbal confrontation with the infamous Hellboy was _probably_ not the greatest idea in the world.

Her seething temper was brought to a momentary stop when her ears flicked, suddenly registering someone else approaching at a clipped pace. She caught a glimpse of a blue-skinned figure behind Hellboy's frame, just outside the door and a voice calling before a flash of red swung toward her face.

Then it was lights out.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The first thing that registered was the dull, but noticeable ache and throw inside her head. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep off the pain. Something cool pressed against her brow and she groaned, the pull into consciousness was stronger now.

"Easy, now. That's it." A voice said quietly to her. A sigh followed up the words. Lupin sighed in response, recognizing who the voice belonged to after a few delayed beats. It was Abe Sapien. That was who she'd seen moments before…

"Red knocked you out," Abe confirmed. She groaned, finally opening her eyes to see the infamous blue-skinned fishman beside her. She was lying on her bed. "Rather impressive hit, actually. Surprised it knocked you out, though."

"Wonderful," she finally managed. Already, the pain was dulling, fading. She reached up to prod her temple, found an ice pack there, and took it off.

"How long was I out?"

"Less than ten minutes. Funny. Most people don't get up for another couple hours after getting walloped by Red like that. Then again, you're not like most people," Abe responded, reaching to tilt her face a little to the side. He stared for a few seconds, lips pursed thinly. "Not even a bruise. Lucky."

"The joys of being me," Lupin replied flatly, mockingly.

"Well, to be fair, you provoked him."

"Um. Excuse me? He hit me first, not the other way around."

"It was verbal. That's enough for him." Abe stood and Lupin swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm not saying he was right, but neither were you. You both said things that were aimed to hurt."

"Hope he doesn't expect an apology."

"Neither should you hold your breath for one, if that's the case."

Lupin scowled. Abe paused, scanning the rather roomy and open space in the bedroom. He lingered on the untouched boxes, taken from the storage unit Lupin had rented for her things before deployment.

"He…does have a valid point, though. Red wasn't exactly subtle, but…he was trying to be sincere. Keeping yourself cooped up isn't helping anyone, let alone yourself. Perhaps getting out every once in a while might be good for you."

Lupin scoffed, but refrained from saying anything. Instead, she got up and crossed the room toward her computer desk and booted up her Mac PowerBook. She felt eyes still on her.

"At least _consider_ it. The others…they're worried."

"About how unreliable I am? How I'm really in league with those bastards at Chimera Corporation?" She growled, looking back at him over her shoulder. "So I've heard."

"They didn't mean that—"

"Oh no, they meant it. Don't lie for them. It's fine, really, it is. I don't care. None of them trust me—and...and that's just fine. Probably for the best." Despite the facetious tone, Lupin's voice had grown very quiet, withdrawn. "I'm not your friend. I'm not their friend. I'm a glorified babysitter."

Abe had fallen silent. She finished booting her computer up, typed in the password, waited. Her ears twitched at the sound of him moving closer. She nearly went rigid, her tail bristling, when his hand descended upon her shoulder.

"You know that's not true. If…you need to talk, I'm always free to listen."

He gave her shoulder a few awkward pats before stepping away. Moments later, her bedroom door closed. She knew was alone again.

_The way it should be,_ a nasty voice whispered at the back of her mind. She lifted her eyes up to her computer screen background. Lupin didn't have the heart to keep her gaze locked on it. She slammed the clamshell closed, blanking out the photo of herself and her dead fiancé's smiling face.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	2. Chapter One: Negotiate

**Chapter One:  
Negotiate**

**Disclaimer**_**:**_** Hahaha—no.****I do not own any media shown in this piece of fanfiction. They all belong to their respective creators and owners. The only thing I (barely) own is this piece of written works and the original characters within.**

**Warnings: There will be cursing, violence, mild nudity, blood, gore, and a few other minor things under the rainbow with this fic.**

**Note: And here's to chapter one. Hopefully, it'll be somewhat successful? And entertaining. Here's to hoping. Things will start to reveal themselves, people start to come together, and why not a little smartassery thrown in for good measure? XD**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**Wilson: **_Do you know what terrorists do when you don't negotiate? They _terrorize_.  
_**House: **_Bring. It. On._**  
-Wilson and House, **_**House M.D.**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Get out of the house, they said, it'll be good to get some fresh air. Stop cooping yourself up in your room and go out to mingle with people, they said. Go have some fun, they said. Oh, well, I'm having _tons_ of fun right now."

Shift gears. Engine roar. Burst of speed. Shift gears again. Headlights still in the rearview mirror. _Dammit_.

Heart pounding. Pulse racing. At this rate, she was sure she was going to have a bloody heart attack.

_Damn, he really takes care of that car, don't he? _

Lupin gritted her teeth, felt fangs begin piercing at the inside of her lip, threatening to stab right through flesh, but she wasn't paying attention to that at all. It wasn't high on her priority list, at least.

_Shake 'em. Can't lead 'em back to the house. Manor. Whatever ya call it. Shit. _

Shift gears again. Taste of blood in her mouth. She ignored it.

_Let's show 'em how a driver from L.A. does things, shall we?_ She gripped the gear shifter in a white-knuckled grip with one hand, the steering wheel with the other. _So let's focus._

The disadvantages of being near or in a small town was that people tended to talk, tended to know things about you, even before you knew that they knew. Word traveled like wildfire, and before you knew it, everybody was in your business. And that disadvantage was now chasing her up and down a highway in the form of two men in Chevy Impala.

_What gave me away? Eyes? Fangs? Claws? Dammit, I should've trimmed them before I left. Shouldn't have smiled. Should've kept my shades on. Fuck, fuck, fuck! _

Her hand trembled as she downshifted again, heard the pitch of her engine climb higher and her car jerked forward with another roar and burst of speed. Then her hand dove to the iPhone sitting in a tray in front of the cassette player, fingers dashing haphazardly at her passcode. _Find the number, get them out here. God, I hate calling for backup. _

The phone rang after she found the desired number. It rang three times and the pauses in between felt like an eternity. The black Impala was coming up closer. She downshifted again, and silently promised if she got through this, she'd do an inspection of everything, make sure she didn't fuck anything up with the engine. This much excitement after a long while of sitting around wasn't an ideal way to start things off.

"'Yellooo?"

"Paul—what're you doing with Dante's phone—you know what, never mind. Get Dante."

"Sorry, no can do. He went out for a pizza run with his alter ego. Left his phone here by accident. What's up?"

"About to get bloody killed, that's what! Did they take Cliff?"

Lupin scowled, gritting her teeth, hoping the demon hunter didn't take the Autobot out. There was a pause on the other end, a hesitation.

"Uh, no, Cliff's doing patrol. Try his number." Another pause, and concern followed up the next question, "You sure you're okay?"

"No!"

She didn't have the time to play twenty questions. She hung up, filed through the numbers again, found contact '_C.J._' and pressed '_Call_'.

One ring and she was through. "Lupin, what a surprise. What's up?"

"Backup, now, my location. I need a scare tactic employed."

"Well, now this is a first. What pleasure do I owe for the courtesy call for backup for? Cops? Need me to cause a diversion for the local sheriff's department?"

"Worse."

Like with Paul, there was a pause. "Worse?"

"Monster hunters."

"…on it."

The other line went dead. Lupin tossed the phone into the passenger seat. Radio stations buzzed in and out of frequency on her radio before a local classic rock station caught on and she caught snippets of AC/DC's _Highway to Hell_ before it faded to static. Lupin snorted at the irony. What were the odds of that happening, she wondered? This wasn't going to turn out to be a cheesier version of _Final Destination_, was it? She hoped not.

Her eyes were still glued to the road. She caught sight of a dirt road veering off from the main highway. "Try this on for size."

Her hand flew to the gear shifter and she jerked the wheel, shifting at the same time. The tires screeched, the smell of burning rubber filled the night air, and she swooped in on the road, kicking up dust, grit and dirt as she swerved smoothly off the paved road. She flicked off the lights and darkness swallowed her up. Her eyes adjusted immediately, and she could see in the inky blackness as easily as if it were daytime. The sun had dipped out of the sky over an hour ago, giving way to the realm of the night.

She was still wondering what gave her away. She'd retracted her tail and ears before leaving the manor. Sure, she felt a little funny walking, felt a little deaf too, but she didn't look that bad or awkward after a minute or two of getting used to it. Well, her ears were slightly pointed at the tips. Not exactly standard human-looking, but her hair covered it up. Did her eyes flash like an animal's? Were her nails too long, too sharp at the tips? Did she show her fangs off by accident?

Something had given her away and she'd be _damned_ if she ended up shot in the heart or head with a silver bullet by either of the Winchester brothers.

Their headlights showed up briefly in her rearview mirror, before she made a turn in a bend in the road and the light faded behind the wall of trees again. She shifted again. It was suddenly too hot in the cab, even with the windows rolled down. She put on another burst of speed with a jerk of the shifter going to a lower gear. The engine roared, pitched higher, rushing forward and the road was gobbled up beneath its tires. If she could make it to the one particular twisty-bend with the little hidden field just off the road a mile or two ahead, she could lose them. Maybe find a way to approach them on her terms. Or better yet, not. She didn't think she could deal with them. Not without getting uppity. Especially with Mr. Sass Master, Dean Winchester. That might not be a good idea, knowing her temper…

Her phone roared. Literally, it roared. The ring tone was the T-Rex roar from _Jurassic Park_. She forgot she had that. It made her jump in her seat, nearly swerve in a tree. She corrected herself with a jerk of the wheel, kicking up more dust in her wake. She caught sight of light through the haze, shifted again, put on another burst of speed. She groped for her phone, found it, brought it up.

'_Almost there. Hold on a little longer._'

She tossed it aside again, felt a stab of misery and humiliation twisting in her gut. This really was embarrassing. She was a Marine—pardon, _former_ Marine, thanks to those bastards at Chimera Corporation—and she should be facing this problem head on. Instead, she was running away like a curltail.

Of course, even before she decided for a tactful retreat—because dammit, she didn't want to fully admit that she _did_ run away—she could smell a rather generous amount of silver coming from them, from the trunk of their Impala when she'd passed it earlier before hurrying for the road. It was enough to make her sick, that scent of burning ozone, something that felt like it was searing her throat, her lungs, with every inhalation. Silver was not her best friend, suffice to say.

Her phone roared again and she flicked her gaze toward it, the screen lit up in the passenger seat. Something caught her gaze in the rearview mirror, however, and she veered her attention. A pair of blue eyes stared back at her, attached to a quiet, slightly grizzled face and relaxed body donning a familiar trench coat and suit.

Lupin shrieked, heart pounding as she forced herself to slow down. "Sweet Jesus fucking Christ!"

The figure sitting in the backseat tilted their head, a quiet and brief look of confusion. Lips pursed, the brow furrowed, and then in an instant, the look was gone. "I would appreciate it if you would stop. We've been trying to catch up to you for quite some time now."

_Oh fucking great. It's fucking_ Castiel._ What next, Lucifer or Crowley are gonna pop in for a quick visit and take the bloody wheel like a sassy bitch?!_

Lupin's heart still raced, pounding frantically in her ribcage. She glanced at her phone again, darted a hand out to nab it, but Castiel was quicker, not restrained by a seatbelt like she was.

"Your friend says that he's here." The way he casually said it sounded like he was just a helpful buddy reading her message to her while she drove. "But I'm afraid you'll have to postpone your meeting."

A hand landed on her shoulder, squeezed, but it removed itself as soon it touched her when something large, red and fast barreled forward toward them. Of course, Lupin could see the red in the dark, although it was a little washed out by the blackness. It leapt over her car as she swerved to a stop, dust once more flying. She heard the angel in her backseat utter a soft noise as gravity took place and slammed him into the side of her car. The ground shuddered violently seconds later, rocking her vehicle. The suspension creaked beneath them. Moments passed before a second pair of brakes set off with a loud screech, but Lupin couldn't see the second vehicle. A large, bulky and imposing metal figure was between her and them. Two blue, glowing spheres appeared, framed by a horned helm. She saw a smirk pull at metal lips.

"You call for a big damn hero?"

Lupin could have breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Cliffjumper, but her nerves were still frayed, her paranoia running high and nothing was going to be set in the relaxed position for a good, long while. Already, she was reaching for the shifter, foot slammed down on the clutch, but that hand on her shoulder grabbed her more firmly this time.

Suddenly, she was outside, standing up and on the opposite side of Cliffjumper, mere feet away from the Chevy Impala that had been chasing her up until a minute ago. She snarled, bristled, backed away from Castiel, already moving toward the protective overhang of Cliffjumper, who had his hands on his hips. He didn't even need his blaster out for intimidation; he was bulky enough as it was. Not that she could find it in her to sic the giant Autobot on the Winchesters or Castiel in earnest. She just liked the idea of having a giant metal shield handy in case the bullets start flying. And she doubted he'd squash them even if she did.

The doors to the Impala swung open, the engine still running, the lights still glaringly bright. First Dean and then Sam slid out. She felt twitchy, even at the lack of guns in sight, but she could smell the silver, if she sought out that burning ozone scent on purpose.

Sam started making the '_calm down_' motions with his hands as he hopped out of the passenger seat, trying to look reassuring.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down, we're not going to hurt you, just…calm down, all right?"

She saw both the brothers look toward Cliffjumper, and there was a nervous scent in the air, which she would admit, made her feel somewhat good. Maybe it had been a good thing she called the Autobot. Her hands twitched, aching to reach for her own pistol, but she abstained. As long as their hands were empty, hers would remain that way too. If she was honest now, she'd show good faith.

Cliffjumper shifted behind her, making the ground tremble in the slightest. Dean glanced between her and the towering Autobot.

"That thing ain't real, is it?"

"About as real as the heat you're packing," Cliffjumper rumbled. "Might wanna consider keeping it tucked away. I've got a bigger gun than you and those tend to win out in a firefight. Trust me."

The chill across her flesh settled, and again, she felt some respite and reassurance now that she wasn't alone. Yeah. Definitely glad she called backup this time around. She nearly took a hard beating when she tried confronting Dante the first time they'd met over a week ago. Well, both of them. And Nero. Stupid.

"What do you want?" Lupin interrupted, seeing a smartass comeback lining itself up on Dean's face before he even spoke. His attention was drawn to her, and so was Sam's. She noticed Castiel was still observing the Autobot in open fascination.

"We got a call. Said we needed to find you up here in New York State, to this area. Your name's Lupin, right?"

She eyed the three of them, bouncing between their faces, took in scents, assessed their body language. Dean was tense, coiled, ready to strike, suspicious. Sam was leery, but willing to let negotiating and peacekeeping take place in lieu of outright action, although he had the same intensity as his brother, looking ready to strike if she made the wrong move. Castiel seemed the most relaxed, but she wouldn't count the angel out. Not by a long shot. Did the Winchesters know that she was not human? She was starting to doubt it, but she didn't dismiss it completely. If they didn't, however, it was to her advantage for the time being.

"Yeah," she finally nodded. "D'ya know who gave ya the call?"

"Someone named…Scribe?" Sam continued, brow creasing, face bunching in a way that suggested he was going off vague recollection. Lupin scowled.

"Goddammit." She spat.

"You know that wackjob?"

"_Know_ 'em? That motherfucker and his psycho twin brother are the reason I'm stuck with—with _this_ guy!" She jabbed a thumb in Cliffjumper's direction, annoyance clearly written on her face.

"Hey! I'm your backup!"

"Oh shut it, tin man."

"Tin man! I'll leave you here by yourself, if you'd like, because Mr. Tin Man here will take his happy little red aft back on the road to finish patrollin'."

He turned to stroll back down the way he'd come, but Lupin snapped at him, flagging his attention.

"Oi! Iron Giant! Get your happy little red aft back here! I don't feel like gettin' my own aft kicked if things don't go right!"

Air vented loudly from Cliffjumper's engine, almost like a huffy, sarcastic sigh. "Fine, if my services are needed that badly, I'll stand as bodyguard. Can't have you riddled with holes again."

"Again?"

The sharp word cracked in the air like a whip. Lupin winced, knowing whose mouth it had come from too. The suspicion increased tenfold on Dean's face, and she could see he was making a split second decision on whether or not to whip out the gun she knew he had on him, Cliffjumper's warning notwithstanding.

That seemed to set off the alarms in Sam's head as well. He remained rooted to his spot, no longer inching forward, and he stopped trying to look less intimidating as he did so by straightening to his full height. Castiel turned his eyes toward Lupin finally, as though finally registering her presence.

"You're not human."

The comment from Castiel was as casual as can be and left an icy chill in the air. It also had the ring of an accusation tailing the comment.

She swallowed nervously. _Goddammit._

"Werewolf," she confirmed with a nod. She saw hands twitch upwards a few inches. Saw visible twitches, jumps of tension in their bodies. Saw second-guessing flash across their faces. Saw hands go down grudgingly. Cliffjumper sidled up closer, gears clicking and whirring at the simple movement. She could practically feel the natural heat coming off his metal body, he was so close. She could probably reach behind her and touch him if she wanted.

"And who're you? You still haven't identified yourselves. Can't exactly let you loose from your leashes to play before you get to know one another, can I?"

Cliffjumper was professional when needed, strangely enough. Lupin noticed that. She had him mostly pegged for a jokester, but the tone he used implied a duality of lightness and business. Lupin scowled at the leash comment, however, and cast an annoyed glance upward. Cliffjumper shrugged, sporting an amiable grin at her.

"I swear, C.J…"

"_Swear_? You're too young to be swearing. You really should stop. It's not appropriate."

"I'm twenty-two—three! Twenty-three, goddammit!"

"Now that's not nice. _Language_."

"_Cliff_!"

"Hey, as amusing as this is, I'd like to get some answers, so why don't you both cut the spazzing out crap."

She and Cliffjumper looked to the older Winchester brother, and Lupin's lips pursed.

"You got them already. I'm Lupin. I'm not human. Your turn."

Dean narrowed his eyes. Sam glanced at his brother, Castiel, back to Lupin.

"Look. Let's just…all calm down before someone gets hurt. All right? This doesn't have to end in a bloodbath, so let's _try_ not to escalate things here."

Lupin bristled, but kept her mouth shut. She's already gotten herself in trouble with it more than once and this time, she could see that tension was high. She took in a deep breath, eyes darting over each face before she craned her neck up to look at Cliffjumper again. A flash of a memory raced across her mind, the first time she saw him on television—a witty jokester with a lone-wolf attitude taking on Decepticons, getting in trouble, killed, resurrected into something else, something dark and unnatural and sinister—and then it was gone. She shivered.

"Cliff. Give us some space, please." She managed to keep her tone as calm and as neutral as she could manage.

"You got it, Boss Lady."

He retreated slowly backwards, carefully sidestepping her vehicle. Lupin took in a few calming breaths before expelling a long one.

"Let's…try this whole introduction thing again, shall we?" Lupin paused, allowing that to sink in for a few beats before motioning to herself. "My name's Lupin. No, I'm not working with those bastards in Chimera Corporation. Not…willingly, at least. Some…circumstances really fucked things up for me and I ended up being shanghaied by them into this bloody job."

"And what job is that, exactly?"

She sighed, deflating slightly. "Babysitting."

There was a long, awkward pause. The seriousness that had settled in the air seemed to dissipate, just in the slightest, as confused and rather comical looks were exchanged. Dean furrowed his brow, tilting his head, lips twitching, as though he was trying to get a grasp of the word before speaking it.

"I'm…I'm sorry, but did you just _say…babysitting?_ What're you doing, watching a bunch of big wig executives' kids or something?"

Lupin pressed her lips into a firm, thin line and motioned once more to Cliffjumper. "You know what he is?"

"A…giant robot."

"Do you see the insignia on his chest plate?"

"Not really." Sam responded honestly, squinting up at the Autobot. Cliffjumper's engine vented air again and he uncrossed then re-crossed his arms, shifting weight from one leg to the other.

"I don't think they're quite gettin' it, kid. Might wanna break it down a little more for 'em." Cliffjumper smirked, glowing blue eyes narrowing. She shivered again, remembered the purple glow from the show, expected to see it any minute now. _Stop it. That's not helping._

"He's an Autobot."

"Wait, like from _Transformers_?" Dean inputted immediately, now looking at Cliffjumper with more open awe and interest than moments before.

"Exactly."

"But that's…" Sam started, but trailed off, looking at Lupin's earnest expression.

"Impossible? Right, because werewolves and vampires should also be impossible, and yet, here _I_ am. Shit happens. Impossible shouldn't even be in your vocabulary, you're a bloody hunter, ain't ya?"

"But _how_ is that possible?"

Castiel strode a little closer, eyes cast upward toward the metal behemoth towering over them all, before he rested his eyes on Lupin.

"We're in an alternate reality, that's why."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Go back to the beginning, and go slower this time. You're making my head hurt with this overload of information."

The manor was abuzz with activity from several of the patrons that were living in it. People kept poking their heads in the room from around a corner to view the newcomers or they strolled in without proper warning to silently observe or even outright greet the three newbies. They didn't seem to quite get that there were two itchy-finger, trigger happy hunters armed to the teeth and an angel with divine powers who could appear and disappear—and so much more—at a whim sitting in the room, looking quite uncomfortable.

Well, at first, they did. Most would, when you had familiar faces that belonged behind television and movie screens kept popping in to observe them all.

_Welcome to my life,_ Lupin thought miserably as she spotted a white-haired Dante—or was it Nero?—passing by through the doorway leading to one hall, and through the doorway of another corridor, she caught a sparing glance of River Tam watching in silence, peeking around the corner with knowing eyes. Hellboy soon appeared in the same doorframe that Dante or Nero had appeared in moments before, carrying a six-pack of beer in one hand, the other leaning up against the wall.

Dean saw him first and jumped, eyes widening, whether it was in awe or from being completely dumbstruck, it was hard to tell. He nudged Sam hard in the ribs, who scowled at his brother before turning to see what had captured Dean's attention. Discomfort crossed over his feature, lips pursing, brow furrowing, and a heavy sigh drooping his shoulders lower. Castiel tilted his head, as though trying to decipher whether or not Hellboy was genuine in appearance.

"Newbies?" Hellboy inquired, although from the way he said it, he already knew the answer. Lupin sighed.

"Boots," she confirmed, glancing at the three from the corner of her eyes. "Fresh meat."

"Don't say 'fresh meat' like that, makes it sound like you're gonna eat us."

"I ain't. How many times do I gotta say it?"

"Well, pardon me for not believing you," Dean countered.

His suspicion was justified, of course. She wouldn't believe her either, if she were him. A werewolf who didn't eat humans was like finding a wolf on a purely vegan diet. It sounded preposterous, but so did the ability to create fire from thin air, but she could do that too. She just didn't like broadcasting that ability as much as her lycanthropy. In fact, she would've preferred if nobody in the house had found out, but that little blunder had, unfortunately, been accidentally revealed by Abe.

The others hadn't spoken to her about it, but she knew they threw nervous glances over their shoulders at her when they thought she wasn't looking. Almost as if they expected her to catch fire at any moment, or they'd skirt around obviously touchy issues when they saw her temper flaring, afraid she'd spit flames or will someone to burst into a living pyre.

She'd never do that, but she had yet to correct anyone. It kept them from bothering her too much. Most of them, anyways.

She turned back to the three pairs of eyes now resting on her, and felt that she was just as uncomfortable as they were, having to explain this. _Am I going to have to do this with everyone who comes through? Jesus fucking Christ, I hope not._

"So, the beginning again," Sam reminded gently, casting another sideways glance towards Hellboy, who was now cracking open one of the beers. He motioned to the six pack, nodding toward the hunters. Lupin shrugged, nodded and the demon strode forward, tail swinging leisurely behind him as he started ripping one can off the plastic holder, and tossed one to Dean, then Sam. Castiel declined and Lupin took it instead.

"This crap again?"

"What're you complainin' about? It's good beer."

"I hate beer," she muttered, and despite her grouching, she cracked open the can and took a swig with a grimace. "Ugh."

"Then don't drink it if you don't like it." Hellboy rumbled back. "Try not to murder them. Don't want to have to scrape your bloody ass off the side of the road like we did the other week."

"Thanks for that," Lupin growled in a flat tone, glaring at the red-skinned man with narrowed mismatched eyes. He shrugged and meandered back the way he'd come, but he paused in the doorway, looking back at Lupin.

"Oh, that reminds me. Security feeds have been on the glitch, Raf said. Might wanna check 'em out later, see it ain't something simple to fix. I can't make heads or tails of it, maybe you can help 'em out"

Lupin waved a hand at him. "Sure, later. I'll check it out. Anything else?"

"Your friggin' dragon's been in disappearing down to the lake again. He's gonna get seen if he keeps running around like that. Drag him into the damn forest and put a giant leash him on or something."

With that said, Hellboy took his leave, cans of beer clinking against one another while he started singing up some old song Lupin didn't quite recognize, but felt she should have.

There was a very brief, awkward pause before Dean spoke up, cutting the silence in half.

"…Dragon?"

"…it's a very long story."

"We got all night."

"Unfortunately," Lupin sighed, looking outside a bay window longingly. Outside, almost as if from pure irony, the moon was visible, fat and swollen and bright. A shiver ran down her spine. Just a few more nights before it was full. She wasn't looking forward to that night.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


End file.
